THE CATHOLIC DIDASCALIA

THAT IS TEACHING

OF THE TWELVE HOLY APOSTLES AND DISCIPLES OF OUR SAVIOUR

CHAPTER I

On the simple and natural Law.

GOD'S planting and the holy vineyard of His Catholic Church, the elect, who rely on the simplicity of the fear of the Lord, who by their faith inherit His everlasting kingdom, who have received the power and fellowship of His Holy Spirit [cf. 2Cor 13.13], and by Him are armed and made firm in the fear of Him, who are become partakers in the sprinkling of the [1Pt 1.2] pure and precious blood of the Great God, Jesus Christ [1Pt 1.17], who have received boldness to call the Almighty God Father, as joint heirs and partakers with His Son and His beloved [cf. Rom 8.17; Eph 3.6] hear the Didascalia of God, you that hope and wait for His promises, which hath been written after the command of our Saviour and is in accord with His glorious words.

[i. 1] Give heed, children of God, and do all things so that you be obedient to God; and be you pleasing in all things to the Lord our God. For if any man run after iniquity and be contrary to the will of God, the same shall be accounted unto God as heathen and ungodly. Flee therefore and depart from all avarice and evil dealing. And you shall not desire that [[4]] which is any man's, for it is written in the Law: Thou shalt not desire aught of that which is thy neighbour's : neither his field, nor his wife, nor his servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing of his possessions [Ex 20.17; Dt 5.21]. For all these desires are from the Evil One. For he that desires the wife of his companion, or his servant, or his maidservant, is already an adulterer and a thief, and is condemned of uncleanness, as they that lie with males, by our Lord and Teacher Jesus Christ: to whom (is) glory and honour for ever and ever, Amen. As also in the Gospel He renews and confirms and fulfils the Ten Words of the Law, (saying) : For it is written in the Law: Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you this,-- who in the Law spake through Moses, but now myself (p. 2) say unto you: Whosoever shall look upon the wife of his neighbour to desire her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart [Mt 5.27-28]. And thus was he who desired condemned as an adulterer. He also that desires the ox or the ass of his neighbour, it is to steal and to lead it away that he is minded. And he again that desires the field of his companion, does he not seek to straiten him in his boundary, and contrive that he may sell it to him for nothing ? For this cause therefore come slayings and deaths and condemnations from God upon these persons.

But for men who obey God there is one law, simple and true and mild -- without question, for Christians -- this, that what thou hatest that it should be done to thee by another, thou do not to another [cf. Tob 4.15]. Thou wouldst not that a man should look [[6]] upon thy wife evilly to corrupt her: neither look thou upon the wife of thy companion with evil intent. Thou wouldst not that a man should take away thy garment: neither do thou take away that of another. Thou wouldst not be reviled and insulted, or beaten: neither do thou to another anyone of 5 these things. [i. 2] But if a man revile thee, do thou bless him; for it is written in the Book of Numbers: He that blesseth is blessed, and he that curseth is cursed [cf. Num 24.9; Gen 27.29]. And in the Gospel also it is written again: Bless them that curse you [Lk 6.28; Mt 5.44]. And to them that do you evil, do not you evil; and do good to them that hate you [Lk 6.27], and be patient and endure, for the Scripture saith: Thou shalt not say: I wilt render to mine enemy evil, even as he hath done to me: but be patient, and the Lord will be thy helper, and will bring a recompense upon him that doeth thee evil [Prov 20.22]. And again He saith in the Gospel: Love them that hate you, and pray for them that curse you, and ye shall have no enemy [Mt 5.44;Lk 6.27; Did 1.3]. Let us attend then, our beloved, and understand these commandments and keep them, that we may be sons of the light [cf. Jn 12.36; Eph 5.8; 1Th 5.5].

CHAPTER II

Teaching every man that he should please his wife alone; and that he should not adorn himself and become a cause of stumbling to women; and that he should not love idleness; and that he should occupy himself with the Scriptures of life, and avoid profane writings and the bonds of the Second Legislation; and that he should not bathe in a bath with women; and that he should not give himself to the vice of harlots.

[i. 3] Bear with one another [cf. Gal 6.2], O servants and sons of God. Let not a man despise or contemn his wife, nor be lifted up against her; but let him be merciful, and let his hand be open to give. (p. 3) And let him please his wife alone, and cherish her with honour; and let him study to be loved by her alone, and by none other. Adorn not thyself that a strange woman may see and desire thee. And if indeed thou be constrained by her and sin with her, death in fire shall come upon thee of a surety from God, even that which abides for ever, which is in sore and bitter fire; and thou shalt know and understand when thou art grievously tormented. But if thou do not this uncleanness, but put her from thee and deny her: in this only hast thou sinned, that by thy adornment thou hast caused the woman to be taken with the desire of thee; for thou hast caused her, to whom it so happened by reason of thee, to commit adultery through her desire. But not so art thou under sin, because thou didst not desire her: but there shall be mercy upon thee from the Lord, because thou didst not deliver thyself to her nor consent to her when she sent unto thee, neither [[10]] in thought didst thou turn thyself to that woman who was taken with the desire of thee: but she on a sudden encountered thee, and was stricken in her thought and sent unto thee; but thou as a godfearing man didst deny her and avoid her, and didst not sin with her; but she was stricken in her heart, because thou art young and fair and comely, and didst adorn thyself and cause her to desire thee: and thou art found to be guilty of the sin of her to whom it so happened by reason of thy adornment. But entreat of the Lord God that sin be not ascribed to thee on this account. And if thou wouldst please God and not men, and lookest and hopest for the life and rest everlasting, adorn not thy natural beauty which is given thee from God, but with humility of neglect make it mean before men. In like manner also thou shalt not nourish the hair of thy head, but do thou shear it off; and thou shalt not comb and adorn it, nor anoint it, lest thou bring upon thee such women as ensnare, or are ensnared, by lust. Neither shalt thou put on fine raiment, nor be shod on thy feet with shoes which are fashioned according to the lust of folly; nor shalt thou put upon thy fingers rings of gold device: for all these things are the wiles of harlotry, and every thing that thou dost apart from nature. For to thee, a faithful man of God, it is not permitted to nourish the hair of thy head and to comb and smooth it, which is a wantonness of lust; neither shalt thou arrange and adorn it, nor adjust it so that it may be beautiful. And thou shalt not destroy the hairs of thy beard [cf Lev 19.27], (p. 4) nor [[11]] alter the natural form of thy face and change it to other than God created it, because that thou desirest to please men. But if thou do these things, thy soul shall be deprived of life, and thou shalt be rejected before the Lord God. As a man therefore who would please God, take heed thou do no such things; and avoid all those things which the Lord hateth.

[i. 4] And thou shalt not stray and go about idly in the streets and see the vain spectacle of those who behave themselves evilly; but be thou always attending to thy craft and thy work, and be willing to do those things that are pleasing to God; and thou shalt be meditating constantly upon the words of the Lord. [i. 5] But if thou art rich and hast no need of a craft whereby to live, thou shalt not stray and go about vacantly; but be ever constant in drawing near to the faithful and to them that are like-minded with thee, and be meditating and learning with them the living words. And if not, sit at home and read the Law, and the Book of Kings and the Prophets, [[12]] and the Gospel the fulfilment of these. [i. 6] But avoid all books of the heathen. For what hast thou to do with strange sayings or laws or lying prophecies, which also turn away from the faith them that are young? For what is wanting to thee in the word of God, that thou shouldst cast thyself upon these fables of the heathen? If thou wouldst read historical narratives, thou hast the Book of Kings; but if wise men and philosophers, thou hast the Prophets, wherein thou shalt find wisdom and understanding more than that of the wise men and philosophers; for they are the words of the one God, the only wise. And if thou wish for songs, thou hast the Psalms of David; but if (thou wouldst read of) the beginning of the world, thou hast the Genesis of the great Moses; and if laws and commandments, thou hast the glorious Law of the Lord God. All strange (writings) therefore, which are contrary (to these), wholly avoid.

Yet when thou readest the Law, beware of the Second Legislation, that thou do but read it merely; but the commands and warnings that are therein much avoid, lest thou lead thyself astray and bind thyself with the bonds which may not be loosed of heavy burdens. For this cause therefore, if thou read the Second Legislation, consider this alone, that thou know and glorify God who delivered us from all these bonds. And have this set before thine eyes, that thou discern (p. 5) and know what [in the Law] is the Law, and what are the bonds that are in the Second Legislation, which after the Law were given to those who, in the Law and in the Second Legislation, [[14]] committed so many sins in the wilderness. For the first Law is that which the Lord God spoke before the people had made the calf and served idols, which consists of the Ten Words and the Judgements. But after they had served idols, He justly laid upon them the bonds, as they were worthy. But do not thou therefore lay them upon thee; for our Saviour came for no other cause but to fulfil the Law, and to set us loose from the bonds of the Second Legislation. For He set loose from those bonds and thus called those who believe in Him, and said: Come unto me, all ye that toil and are laden with heavy burdens, and I will give you rest [Mt 11.28]. Do thou therefore, without the weight of these burdens, read the simple Law, which is in accord with the Gospel; and moreover the Gospel itself, and the Prophets; and the Book of Kings likewise, that thou mayest know that as many kings as were righteous were both advanced by the Lord God in this world, and continued in God's promise of everlasting life; but those kings who turned aside from God and served idols did justly, by a summary judgement, perish miserably, and were deprived of the kingdom of God, and instead of (obtaining) rest are punished. When therefore thou readest these things, thou wilt grow the more in faith and be improved.

And afterwards rise up, go forth to the market-place and bathe in a bath of men: but not in one of women, lest, when thou hast stripped thyself and shewn the nakedness of thy bare body, [[16]] either thou be ensnared, or thou constrain another and she slip and be ensnared by thee. Beware of these things therefore, and thou shalt live unto God.

[i. 7] Learn, then, what saith the holy word in Wisdom :  ¹My Son, keep my words, and my commandments hide within thee. My son, honour the Lord, and be strengthened;  and beside him thou shalt fear none other. ²Keep my commandments, and live well, and my laws as the apple of thine eye; ³and bind them upon thy fingers. and write them on the tables of thy heart.  ⁴And say to wisdom: Thou art my sister, and make known to thy soul understanding:  ⁵that she may keep thee from a strange and adulterous woman, whose words are flattering. ⁶For from the window of her house and from the porch she looked forth into the streets;  ⁷ and whomsoever she saw of the youths that are simple and lack understanding, ⁸ that pass in the street beside the corners of the paths of her house, ⁹and speak in the darkness, at even and in the gloom of the stillness of the night:  ¹⁰ then the woman went forth and met him (p. 6), in the harlot's dress that fluttereth the heart of youths.  ¹¹And she is wanton and bold and dissolute: and her feet cannot be quiet in her house; ¹²but now she roameth abroad, and now she lurketh in the streets and in the corners.  ¹³And she caught him and kissed him, and made her face impudent, and said to him: ¹⁴Sacrifices I have, even peace offerings, today do I pay my vows:  ¹⁵therefore am I come forth to meet thee; for I was  looking to see thee, and I have found thee. ¹⁶I have spread my couch with a coverlet, and with rugs of Egypt have I overlaid it:  ¹⁷I have sprinkled saffron upon my couch, and cinnamon in my house.  ¹⁸ Come, let us take our pleasure with love until morning, and let us embrace each other with desire, ¹⁹For my  husband is not at home: he is gone a long journey, ²⁰and hath taken a bag of money in his hand; and after many days will he come to his house.  ²¹And she beguiled him with her many words, and with the flattery of her lips she drew him unto her. ²²And he went after her like a simpleton, and as an ox that [[18]] goeth to the slaughter, and as a dog to the leash, ²³and as a hart stricken with an arrow; and he maketh haste [and] as a bird to the snare: and he knew not that he went to the death of his soul. ²⁴Now therefore, hear me, my son, and hearken tothe words of my mouth. ²⁵Let not thy heart incline to her ways, and draw not nigh to the door of her house, and go not astray in her path; ²⁶for many slain hath she cast down, and there is no number to them that are slain by her.  ²⁷The ways of her house are the ways of Sheol, which bring down to the chambers of death [Prov 7.1-27].  ¹My son, hearken to my wisdom, and to mine understanding bend thy mind:  ²that my counsel may keep thee, and the knowledge of my lips which I command thee.  ³For the lips of an adulterous woman drop honey, and with her flatteries she maketh sweet thy palate:  ⁴but the latter end of them is more bitter than wormwood, and sharper than a two-edged sword. ⁵For the feet of a foolish (woman) lead down to the chambers of Sheol them that cleave unto her: for there is no standing for her footsteps, nor treading in the land of life:   ⁶for her paths are error, and they are not known.  ⁷Now therefore, my son, hear me, and turn not aside from the words of my mouth.  ⁸Keep thy way far from her, and draw not nigh to the door of her house; ⁹1est thou give thy life to others, and thy years to them that have no mercy; ¹⁰and lest strangers be satisfied of thy strength, and thy revenues go into the houses of others:  ¹¹and in thine old age thy soul repent thee, when the flesh of thy body is consumed, ¹²and thou say:  Why then did I hate correction, and my heart reject reproof; ¹³and hearkened I not to the voice of my teachers, and to them that admonished me inclined not mine ears? ¹⁴I am come well-nigh into every evil [Prov 5.1-14].

[[20]] And that we prolong not and extend the admonition of our teaching with many (words), (p. 7) if we have left anything, do you as wise men choose for yourselves those things that are good from the holy Scriptures and from the Gospel of God, that you may be made firm, and may put away and cast from you all evil, and be found blameless in life everlasting with God.

CHAPTER III

An instruction to women, that they should please and honour their husbands alone, caring diligently and wisely for the work of their houses with attention; and that they should not bathe with men; and that they should not adorn themselves and become a cause of stumbling to men and ensnare them; and that they should be chaste and quiet, and not quarrel with their husbands.

[i. 8] And let a woman also be subject to her husband; because the head of the woman is the man, and the head of a man [Eph 5.23; 1Cor 11.3] that walks in the way of justice is Christ. After the Lord Almighty, our God and the Father of the worlds, of the present and of that which is to come, and the Lord of every breath and of all powers, and His living and Holy Spirit -- to whom is glory and honour for evermore, Amen -- woman, fear [[22]] thy husband and reverence him, and please him alone, and be ready to minister to him; and let thy hands be (put forth) to the wool, and thy mind be upon the spindle, as He saith in Wisdom:  ¹⁰A valiant woman who shall find? For she is more worth than goodly stones of great price; ¹¹and the heart of her husband relieth upon her, and provision is not wanting to her, ¹² For she is a helper to her husband in all things, and causeth that nothing be wanting to him in his living. ¹³She made wool and linen with her ready hands. ¹⁴She is become a good provider, as a merchant ship, and hath gathered all her riches from afar. ¹⁵She rose up in the night and gave victuals to her household, and work to her handmaids. ¹⁶She looked upon a .field, and bought it; and of the fruits of her hands she planted a possession.  ¹⁷She girded her loins with strength, and made firm her arms, ¹⁸and tasted that it is good to work:  and her lamp was not put out all the night long. ¹⁹Her arms she stretched forth with diligence, and her hands to the spindle.  ²⁰Her hands she extended to the poor, and of her fruits she gave to the needy. ²¹And her husband hath no anxiety for the house; for all his household have been clothed with a double raiment. ²²She made for her husband garments of fine linen and scarlet:  ²³her husband is notable in the gates, when he sitteth in the seat of the elders. ²⁴She made in her house linen cloths and girdles , and sold to the Canaanites. ²⁵Strength and comeliness are her raiment:  and she shall rejoice (p. 8) in the last day.  ²⁶She opened her mouth with wisdom and with prudence, and her tongue speaketh orderly. ²⁷The ways of her house are strict:  and bread she hath not eaten slothfully.  She opened her mouth in wisdom, rightly:  ²⁸and the law of mercy is upon her tongue. Her sons rose up and were enriched, and praised he:  and she shall rejoice in them in her last days. Her husband also [[23]] congratulated her:  ²⁹and her many daughters have gotten riches. And many great things she did, and she was exalted above all the women:  ³⁰for a woman that feareth God shall be blessed, and the fear of the Lord shall glorify her. ³¹Give unto her of her fruits, which are worthy of her lips, and let her be praised in the gates:  and in every place let her husband be praised [Prov 31.10-31]. And again: A valiant woman is the crown of her husband [Prov 12.4].

You have heard, then, how great praise a chaste woman and one that loves her husband receives of the Lord God, one that is found faithful and is minded to please God. Thou therefore, O woman, shalt not adorn thyself that thou mayest please other men; and thou shalt not be plaited with the tresses of harlotry, nor put on the dress of harlotry, nor be shod with shoes so that thou resemble them that are such; lest thou bring upon thee those who are ensnared by these things. And if thou sin not thyself in this work of uncleanness, yet in this thou wilt have sinned, that thou hast [[25]] constrained and caused that (man) to desire thee. But if thou also sin, thou hast destroyed thy life from God, and art become guilty also of the soul of that (man). And moreover, when thou hast sinned with one, thou wilt grow reckless and go also to others; as in Wisdom He said: When the wicked is come to the depth of evil, he contemneth and groweth reckless:  and there cometh upon him dishonour and reproach [Prov 18.3]. For one who is such that she is wholly stricken in her soul and taken with desire, leads captive the souls of them that lack understanding. But let us learn concerning these also, how the holy word in Wisdom exposes them; for it saith thus: As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is beauty to a woman that doeth evil [Prov 11.22]. And again: As a worm in wood, so doth an evil woman destroy a man [Prov 12.4]. And again: ¹³A woman void of understanding and boastful cometh to want bread, and knoweth no shame. ¹⁴For she sitteth in the street, by the door of her house, upon a high chair, ¹⁵and calleth to them that pass by the way, and to them that walk in her paths, and saith:  ¹⁶Whoso among you is a simpleton, let him draw nigh to me; and to him that wanteth understanding I will say:  ¹⁷Touch lovingly the hidden bread, and stolen waters that are sweet. ¹⁸And he knoweth not that valiant men perish with her, and come even to the depth of Sheol. But flee thou, and tarry not in that place; and lift not up thine eyes to look upon her [Prov 9.13-18]. And again: It is better to sit  upon a corner of the roof than to dwell with a prating and quarrelsome woman within the house [Prov 21.9,19].

[[26]] Thou therefore that art a Christian, (p. 9) do not imitate such women; but if thou wouldst be a faithful woman, please thy husband only. And when thou walkest in the street, cover thy head with thy robe, that by reason of thy veil thy great beauty may be hidden. And adorn not thy natural face; but walk with downcast looks, being veiled.

[i. 9] And take heed that thou bathe not in a bath with men. For when there is a women's bath in the city or in the village, a believing woman may not bathe in a bath with men. For if thou coverest thy face from strange men with a veil of modesty, how then canst thou go in with strange men to a bath? But if there is no women's bath, and thou art constrained to bathe in a bath of men and women, -- which indeed is unfitting -- bathe with modesty and shame, and with bashfulness and moderation: and not at all times, nor every day, and not at midday; but let there be an appointed season for thee to bathe at, (to wit) at the tenth hour. For it behoves thee, as a believing woman, by every means to fly from the vain and curious gaze of the many which is met with in a bath.

[i. 10] And thy strife with all, and especially with thy husband, check and restrain as a believing woman; lest thy husband, if he be a heathen, be offended by reason of thee and blaspheme against God, and thou receive a Woe from God:  for, Woe to them, by reason of whom the name of God is blasphemed [[28]] among the gentiles [Isa 52.5; Rom 2.24]; or (lest) again, if thy husband be a believer, he be constrained, as one who knows the Scriptures, and say to thee the word from Wisdom: It is better to sit upon a corner of the roof than to dwell with a prating and quarrelsome woman within the house [Prov 21.9-10]. For it behoves women by a veil of modesty and humility to shew (their) fear of God, for the conversion and the increase of faith of them that are without, (both) of men and women.

Now if we have admonished and instructed you in brief, our sisters and our daughters and our members, do you as wise women seek and choose out for yourselves those things that are good and honourable and without reproach in worldly conversation; and learn and know those things whereby you may arrive at the kingdom of our Lord, and may find rest, pleasing Him with good works.

CHAPTER IV (p. 10)

Teaching what manner of man he is that is chosen for the Bishopric, and of what sort his conduct should be.

[ii. 1] But concerning the bishopric, hear ye. The pastor who is appointed bishop and head among the presbytery in the Church in every congregation, it is required of him that he be blameless, in nothing reproachable [1Tim 3.2; Tit 1.7], one remote from all evil, a man not less than fifty years of age, who is now removed from the manners of youth [2Tim 2.22] and from the lusts of the Enemy, and from the slander and blasphemy of false brethren, which they bring against many because they understand not that word which is said in the Gospel: Every one that shall [[30]] say an idle word, shall give an answer concerning it to the Lord in the day of judgement:  for from thy words thou shalt be justified, and from thy words thou shalt be condemned [Mt 12.36-37]. But if it be possible, let him be instructed and apt to teach; but if he know not letters, let him be versed and skilled in the word, and let him be advanced in years.

But if the congregation be a small one, and there be not found a man advanced in years of whom they give testimony that he is wise and suitable to stand in the bishopric:  but there be found there one who is young, of whom they that are with him give testimony that he is worthy to stand in the bishopric, and who, though he is young, yet by meekness and quietness of conduct shows maturity:  let him be proved whether all give testimony concerning him, and so let him sit in peace.  For Solomon also at the age of twelve years reigned over Israel; and Josiah at the age of eight years reigned with righteousness; and Joash likewise reigned when seven years old. Wherefore, even though he be young, yet let him be meek and fearful and quiet; for the Lord God said in Isaiah: On whom shall I look and take pleasure (in him), but on the quiet and meek, that trembleth at my words? [Isa 66.2; cf. Did 3.8] And in the Gospel also He spoke thus: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth [Mt 5.5; cf. Did 3.7]. And let him be merciful; for He said again in the Gospel thus: Blessed are the merciful, for upon them there shall be mercy [Mt 5.7]. And again let him be a peacemaker; for He saith : Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God [Mt 5.9]. And let him be clear of all [[32]] evil and wrong and iniquity; for He saith again: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God [Mt 5.8]. [ii. 2] And let him be watchful and chaste and staid and orderly; and let him not be turbulent, and let him not be one that exceeds in wine ; and let him not be a backbiter; but let him be quiet, and not be quarrelsome; and let him not (p. 11) be money-loving [1Tim 3.2-3]. And let him not be youthful in mind, lest he be lifted up and fall into the judgement of Satan [1Tim 3.6]:  for everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled [Lk 14.11; 18.14]. But it is required that the bishop be thus:  a man that hath taken one wife, that hath governed his house well [1Tim 3.2, 4]. And thus let him be proved when he receives the imposition of hands to sit in the office of the bishopric:  whether he be chaste, and whether his wife also be a believer and chaste; and whether he has brought up his children in the fear of God, and admonished and taught them; and whether his household fear and reverence him, and all of them obey him.  For if his household in the flesh withstand him and obey him not, how shall they that are without his house become his, and be subject to him? [1Tim 3.4-5]

[ii. 3] And let him be proved whether he be without blemish in the things of the world, and likewise in his body; for it is written: See that there be no blemish in him that standeth up to be priest [cf. Lev 14.11]. But let him be also without anger; for the Lord saith:  Anger destroyeth even the wise [Prov 15.1]. And let him be merciful and gracious and full of love; for the Lord saith: Love covereth a multitude of sins [cf. 1Pt 4.8; Prov 10.12]. [ii.4] And let his hand be open to give; and let him love the orphans with the widows, and be a lover of the poor and of strangers. And let him be alert in his ministry, and constant in ministration; and let him be afflicting his soul, and not be one that is put to confusion. And let him know who is the more [[34]] worthy to receive; for if there be a widow who has (some- what), or is able to nourish herself with that which she needs for her bodily sustenance; and there be another who, though she is not a widow, is in want, whether by reason of sickness, or of the rearing of children, or of bodily infirmity: to this (latter) rather let him stretch out his hand. But if there be any man who is dissolute, or drunken, or idle, and he be in straits for bodily nourishment, the same is not worthy of an alms, neither of the Church.

[ii. 5] And let the bishop be also without respect of persons, and let him not defer to the rich nor favour them unduly; and let him not disregard or neglect the poor, nor be lifted up against them. And let him be scant and poor in his food and drink, that he may be able to be watchful in admonishing and correcting those who are undisciplined. And let him not be crafty and extravagant, nor luxurious, nor pleasure-loving, nor fond of dainty meats. And let him not be resentful, but let him be patient in his admonition; and let him be assiduous in his teaching, (p. 12) and constant in reading the divine Scriptures with diligence, that he may interpret and expound the Scriptures fittingly. And let him compare the Law and the Prophets with the Gospel, so that the sayings of the Law and the Prophets may be in accord with the Gospel. But before all let him be a good discriminator between the Law and the Second Legislation, that he may distinguish and show what is the Law of the faithful, and what are the bonds of them that believe not; lest anyone of those under thy authority take the bonds for the Law, and lay upon himself heavy burdens, and become a son of perdition. Be diligent [[35]] therefore and attentive to the word, O bishop, so that, if thou canst, thou explain every saying: that with much doctrine thou mayest abundantly nourish and give drink to thy people; for it is written in Wisdom: Be careful of the herb of the field, that thou mayest shear thy flock: and gather the grass of summer, that thou mayest have sheep for thy clothing:  give attention and care to thy pasture, that thou mayest have lambs [Prov 27.25-26]. [ii. 6] Let not the bishop therefore be a lover of filthy lucre [1Tim 3.8], and especially from the heathen. Let him be suffering a wrong, and not doing a wrong; and let him not love riches.  And let him not think ill of any man, nor bear false witness; and let him not be wrathful, nor quarrelsome; and let him not love the presidency; and let him not be double-minded nor double-tongued [cf. Did 2.4], nor given to incline his ear to words of slander and murmuring; and let him be no respecter of persons. And let him not love the festivals of the heathen, nor occupy himself with vain error. And let him not be lustful, nor money-loving:  for all these things are of the agency or demons.

Now all these things let the bishop command and enjoin upon all the people. And let him be wise and lowly; and let him be admonishing and teaching with the doctrine and discipline of God. And let him be of a noble mind, and aloof from all the evil artifices of this world, and from all the evil lust of the heathen. And let his mind be keen to discern, that he may know beforehand them that are evil:  and do you keep yourselves from them. But let him be the friend of all, being a righteous judge. And whatever of good [[36]] there be that is found in men, let the same be in the bishop. For when the pastor shall be remote from all evil, he will be able to constrain his disciples also and encourage them by his good manners to be imitators of his good works; as (p. 13) the Lord has said in the Twelve Prophets: The people shall be even as the priest [Hos 4.9]. For it behoves you to be an example to the people, for you also have Christ for an example. Be you therefore also a good example to your people, for the Lord said in Ezekiel:  ¹And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:  ²Son of man, speak to the sons of thy people, and say unto them:  When I bring the sword upon a land, let the people of that land take one man from among them and make him their watchman:  ³and he shall see the sword coming upon the land, and shall blow the trumpet and warn the people, ⁴and everyone that heareth the sound of the trumpet shall give ear.  And if he take not warning, and the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his head.  ⁵Because he heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning, his blood shall be upon his head. But he that took warning hath delivered his soul.  ⁶But if the watchman see the sword coming, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come and take away a soul from them:  he hath been taken away in his sins, and his blood will I require at the hands of the watchman [Ezk 33.1-6].  Now the sword is the judgement, and the trumpet is the Gospel, but the watchman is the bishop who is set over the Church.

CHAPTER V

A teaching on judgement.

It behoves thee therefore, O bishop, when thou preachest, to testify and affirm concerning the judgement according as it is (found) in the Gospel. For to thee also has the Lord said: And thee, son of man, I have set as a watchman to the house of Israel; that thou mayest hear a word from my mouth, and give warning and preach it as from me. And when I say to the ungodly: The ungodly shall surely die, and thou preach not and say that the ungodly should depart from his iniquity:  the ungodly shall die in his iniquity, and at thy hands will I require his blood. But if thou warn the ungodly from his way, and he take not warning:  the ungodly shall die in his iniquity, and thou shalt deliver thy soul [Ezk 33.7-9]. Wherefore you also, since to your account is laid the blame of them that sin in ignorance, do you preach and testify; and those who behave themselves without discipline admonish and rebuke openly.  Now whereas we speak and repeat these things often, we are not blameworthy; for through much teaching and hearing it happens that a man is put to shame, and does good and avoids evil. For the Lord also said in the Law: Hear, O Israel [Dt 6.4]; and unto (p.; 4) this day they have not heard. And in the Gospel likewise He often proclaims and says; Every one that hath ears to hear, let him hear [Mt 11.15; 13.9, etc.]. But not even they have heard who thought that they heard; for they cast [[38]] themselves swiftly into the dire destruction of heresy: †upon whom the word of sentence is about to go forth.† [ii. 7] For we believe not, brethren, that when a man has (once) gone down into the water he will do again the abominable and filthy works of the ungodly heathen. For this is manifest and known to all, that whosoever does evil after baptism, the same is already condemned to the Gehenna of fire.

[ii. 8] And we think indeed that the heathen also will blaspheme on this account, that we do not mix with them nor hold communication with them [cf. 1Pt 4.4]. But through the falsehood of the heathen our brethren have the rather attained to the truth; for in the Gospel He saith thus: Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak against you every evil word for my sake, falsely. But do ye rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven:  for so did their fathers persecute the prophets [Mt 5.11-12; Lk 6.23]. If therefore they shall blaspheme against any man falsely, blessed is he [cf. 1Pt 3.14], even because that he is tempted; for the Scripture has said: A man that is not tempted, neither is he approved [?; cf. Jas 1.12; Sir 34.10]. But if a man be convicted of doing the works of iniquity, he is no Christian but a liar, and he holds the fear of the Lord in hypocrisy. Wherefore these persons, when they have been exposed and convicted by the truth openly, let ,the bishop who is without offence and without hypocrisy avoid.

[ii. 9] But if the bishop himself is not of a clean conscience, and accepts persons for the sake of filthy lucre, or for the sake of the presents which he receives, and spares one who impiously sins, and suffers him to remain in the Church:  [ii. 10] such a bishop has polluted his congregation with God; yea, and with men also, and with many of the receivers who are young in their minds, or with the hearers; and youths and maidens [[40]] beside he destroys with him. For by reason of the lewdness of an ungodly man, when they have seen such a one in their midst they too will doubt in their soul, and will imitate him, and themselves also will stumble and be taken with the same malady, and will perish with him. But if he who sins sees that the bishop and the deacons are clear of reproach, and the whole (p. 15) flock pure:  first of all he will not dare to enter the congregation, because he is reproved by his conscience; but if it should happen that he is bold, and comes to the Church in his arrogance, and he is reproved and rebuked by the bishop, and looking upon all (present) finds no offence in any of them, neither in the bishop nor in those who are with him:  he will then be put to confusion, and will go forth quietly, in great shame, weeping and in remorse of soul; and so shall the flock remain pure. Moreover, when he is gone out he will repent of his sin and weep and sigh before God, and there shall be hope for him. And the whole flock itself also, when it sees the weeping and tears of that man, will fear, knowing and understanding that everyone who sins perishes.

[ii. 11] Wherefore, O bishop, strive to be pure in thy works. And know thy place, that thou art set in the likeness of God Almighty, and holdest the place of God Almighty; and so sit in the Church and teach as having authority to judge them that sin in the room of God Almighty. For to you bishops it is said in the Gospel: That which ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven[Mt 18.18].

CHAPTER VI

Concerning transgressors, and concerning those who repent.

[ii. 12] Judge therefore, O bishop, strictly as God Almighty; and those who repent receive with mercy as God Almighty. And rebuke and exhort and teach; for the Lord God also [[42]] with an oath promised forgiveness to them that have sinned, as He said in Ezekiel:  And thou, son of man, say to the house of Israel:  Ye have said thus:  Our crimes and our sins are upon us, and in them we are wasted away:  how then can we live?  Say unto them:  As I live, saith the Lord Adonai, desire not the death of the sinner, but that the wicked return from his evil way and live. Return, therefore, and be converted from your evil ways, and ye shall not die, O house of Israel. [Ezk 33.10-11] Here, then, He gave hope to them that sin, when they shall have repented, that they may have salvation by their repentance, and may not despair of themselves and continue in their sins and further add to them, but may repent and sigh and weep for their sins, and be converted with all their heart. [cf Hermas Mand 12.6-2]

[ii. 13] But let them that have not (p. 16) sinned continue without sin, lest they also come to have need of weeping and sighs and sorrow, and of forgiveness. For whence knowest thou, O man that sinnest, how many are the days of thy life in this world, that thou mayest repent? For thou knowest not thy exit from the world, whether haply thou die in thy sins and there be no more repentance for thee; as it is said in David: In Sheol who shall confess to thee? [Ps 6.6] Wherefore he remains without danger, whosoever spares his soul and remains without sin:  so that the righteousness also which was done by him in time past may be preserved to him.

Do thou therefore, O bishop, thus judge:  first of all strictly; and afterwards receive (the sinner) with mercy and [[43]] compassion, when he promises to repent. And rebuke and afflict him, and (afterwards) be entreated of him, [ii. 14] because of the word which is spoken in David thus: Deliver not up the soul that confesseth to thee. [Ps 73(74).19] And in Jeremiah again He speaks thus concerning the repentance of them that sin:  Shall he that is fallen not rise up? or he that is turned away not return? Wherefore are my people turned away with a shameless perversion, and are held fast in their own devices, and have refused to repent and to return? [Jer 8.4-5] For this cause, then, receive him that repents without hesitating ever so little; and be not hindered by those who are without mercy, who say:  ' It is not fitting that we should be defiled with these.'  For the Lord God has said:  The fathers shall not die for the sons, nor the sons for the fathers. [Dt 24.16] And again in Ezekiel He speaketh thus:  And the word of the Lord came unto me saying:  Son of man, if a land sin against me, and do iniquity before me, I will stretch forth my hand against her, and will destroy out of her the staff of bread, and will send a famine upon her, and will destroy out of her men and beasts. But if there be in her these three men, Noah and Daniel and Job, they by their righteousness shall deliver their souls, saith the Lord Adonai.  [Ezk 14.12-14] The Scripture, then, has shown clearly that if there be found a righteous man with an ungodly, he shall not perish with him, but every man shall be saved by his righteousness: and if he is hindered, it is by his own sins that he is hindered.  And again in Wisdom He saith: Every man is tied with the cord of his sins. [Prov 5.22] Each one therefore of the laity is to render an account of his own sins; and a man is not hurt by reason of  [[44]] the sins of others. For neither did Judas harm us at all when he was praying with us, but he alone perished.  And in the ark, Noah and his two sons who were saved alive, they were blessed; but Ham, his other son, was not (p. 17) blessed, but his seed was cursed; [Gen 9.25] and the animals that went in, animals they came forth.

It behoves you not therefore to hearken to those who desire (to put to) death, and hate their brethren and love accusations, and are ready to slay on any pretext:  (for one shall not die for another).  But do you help them that are sore sick and exposed to danger and are sinning, that you may deliver them from death; and (do) not according to the hardness of heart and the word and thought of men, (but according to the will and command of the Lord our God). For it behoves thee not, O bishop, that being the head thou shouldst obey the tail, that is a layman, a contentious man who desires the destruction of another; but do thou regard only the word of the Lord God. And concerning this, that (men) are not to suppose that they perish or are defiled by the sins of others, He again cut off their evil thought, and by Ezekiel also the Lord our God spoke thus:  ¹And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:  ²Son of man, why use ye this proverb in the land of Israel, and say:  The fathers do eat sour grapes, and their sons' teeth are on edge?  ³As I live, saith the Lord Adonai, there shall no more be any that useth this proverb in Israel.  ⁴For all the souls are mine:  as the soul of the father is mine, so also the soul of the son is mine.  The soul that sinneth, the same shall die.  ⁵And a man, if he be righteous, and do judgement and righteousness, ⁶and eat not upon the [[46]] mountains, and lift not up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and defile not the wife of his neighbour, and come not near to a woman in her menstruation, ⁷and treat no man with violence, and restore the pledge of his debtor which he hath taken, and clothe the naked with a garment, ⁸and give not out his money on usury, and receive not (back) with overcharge, and turn away his hand from iniquity, and judge right judgement betwixt a man and his neighbour, ⁹and walk in my laws, and keep my judgements and do them:  this man is righteous, he shall surely live, saith the Lord Adonai, ¹⁰And if he beget an evil son, that sheddeth blood and doeth iniquity, ¹¹and walketh not in the way of his righteous father, and eateth upon the mountains, and defileth his neighbour's wife, ¹²and evil entreateth the poor and needy, and committeth robbery, and restoreth not the pledge which he hath taken, and lifteth up his eyes to idols, and doeth iniquity, ¹³and giveth out his money on usury, and receiveth (back) with overcharge:  this man shall not live:  because he hath done all this iniquity, he shall surely die, and his blood shall be upon him.  ¹⁴But if he beget a son, and he see those sins which his father did, and fear and do not the like of them (p, 18), ¹⁵and eat not upon the mountains, and lift not up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and defile not his neighbour's wife, ¹⁶and evil entreat no man, and take not a pledge, and commit not robbery, and give his bread to the hungry, and clothe the naked with a garment, ¹⁷and turn away his hand from iniquity, and receive not usury and overcharge, and do righteousness and walk in my laws:  this man shall not die for the iniquity of his father, but he shall surely live.  ¹⁸But his father, because he indeed committed oppression and robbery, and did not good to my people, shall die for his iniquity.  ¹⁹And ye say:  Wherefore is not the son requited for the iniquity of his father?  Because the son did righteousness and mercy, and kept all my commandments and did them, he shall surely live:  ²⁰the soul that sinneth, the same shall die.  A son shall not be requited for the sins of his father; and a father [[48]] shall not be requited for the sins of his son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him; and the iniquity of the ungodly shall be upon him.  ²¹And if the ungodly shall turn away from all his iniquity which he did, and keep all my commandments, and do judgement and righteousness, he shall surely live and not die; ²²and all the iniquity which he did shall not be remembered unto him:  for the righteousness which he did, for the same he shall live. ²³For I desire not the death of the sinner, saith the Lord Adonai:  but everyone that shall turn from his evil way shall live.  ²⁴And if the righteous turn away from his righteousness, and do iniquity according to all the iniquity which the ungodly did:  all his righteousness which he did shall not be remembered unto him, but for the iniquity which he did, and for the sins which he sinned, for the same he shall die.  ²⁵And they have said: The way of the Lord is not well. Hear ye, house of Israel:  my way is well, but your own ways are not well.  ²⁶And if the righteous shall turn away from his righteousness and do iniquity:  for the iniquity which he hath done he shall die.  ²⁷And if the ungodly shall turn away from his iniquity which he did, and shall do judgement and righteousness:  this man hath delivered his soul.  ²⁸Because he turned away from all the iniquity which he did, he shall surely live and not die. ²⁹And the house of Israel say:  The way of the Lord is not well. My way is well, O house of Israel, but your own ways are not well.  ³⁰Therefore will I  judge every man of you according to his ways, saith the Lord Adonai. Return and be converted from all your iniquity and your wickedness, lest these things be unto you for an evil torment.  ³¹And cast away and put from you all the wickedness which ye have done, and make to yourselves a new heart and a new spirit, and ye shall not die, O house of Israel:  ³²for I desire not the death of the sinner, saith the Lord (p. 19) Adonai : but do ye return and live. [Ezk 18.1-32]

[ii. 15] You see, beloved and dear children, how abundant are the mercies of the Lord our God and His goodness and loving-kindness towards us, and (how) He exhorts them that [[50]] have sinned to repent. And in many places He speaks of these things; and He gives no place to the thought of those who are hard of heart and wish to judge strictly and without mercy, and to cast away altogether them that have sinned as though there were no repentance for them. But God (is) not so, but even sinners He calls to repentance and gives them hope; and those who have not sinned He teaches, and tells them that they should not suppose that we bear or partake in the sins of others.  Simply, then, receive them that repent, rejoicing. For He spoke again in the same prophet concerning repentance thus:  ¹²And thou, son of man, say to the sons of thy people:  The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day that he doeth wickedly; and the iniquity of the ungodly shall not hurt him in the day that he returneth from his iniquity:  and the righteous cannot live in the day that he sinneth.  ¹³And when I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live, and he rely upon his righteousness and do iniquity:  all his righteousness shall not be remembered unto him, but for the iniquity which he hath done, for the same he shall die.  ¹⁴And when I shall say to the ungodly:  Thou shalt surely die; and he turn from his sin and do judgement and righteousness, ¹⁵and return the pledge which he hath taken, and restore that which he hath robbed, and walk in the judgements and commandments of life so that he do no iniquity:  he shall surely live and not die, ¹⁶and all his sins which he sinned shall not be remembered unto him:  he hath done judgement and righteousness, he shall surely live.  ¹⁷And the sons of thy people say:  The way of the Lord Adonai is not well. Say unto them:  It is your own ways are not well:  ¹⁸for if the righteous shall turn away from his righteousness and do iniquity, he shall surely die for his iniquity; ¹⁹and if the ungodly shall turn away from his iniquity and do judgement and righteousness, for the same he shall live. [Ezk 33.12-19]

It behoves you then, O bishops, to judge according to the [[52]] Scriptures those who sin, with gentleness and with mercy. For if, when a man is walking by the brink of a river and is ready to slip, thou by suffering him (to slip) hast thrust (and) cast him into the river, thou hast also committed murder. But if a man were to slip on the brink of a river and be near to perish, thou wouldst quickly reach out a hand to him and draw him out, lest he perish altogether. So do therefore (with the sinner); that both thy people may learn and understand, and he also that sins may not utterly perish.

[ii. 16] But when thou hast seen one who has sinned, be stern (p. 20) with him, and command that they put him forth; and when he is gone forth let them be stern with him, and take him to task, and keep him without the Church; and then let them come in and plead for him.  For our Saviour Himself also was pleading with His Father for sinners, as it is written in the Gospel: My Father, they know not what they do, neither what they speak:  but if it be possible, do Thou forgive them. [? (cf Lk 23.34, Mt 26.39, 1Tim 1.7] And then do thou, O bishop, command him to come in, and examine him whether he be repentant. And if he is worthy to be received into the Church, appoint him days of fasting according to his offence, two or three weeks, or five, or seven; and so dismiss him that he may depart, saying to him whatever is right for admonition and instruction; and rebuke him, and say to him that he be by himself in [[53]] humiliation, and that he beg and beseech during the days of his fast that he may be found worthy of the forgiveness of sins:  as it is written in Genesis:  Hast thou sinned? be silent:  thy repentance shall be with thee, and thou shalt have power over it.  [Gen 4.7] To Mary the sister of Moses also, when she had spoken against Moses, and afterwards repented and was held worthy of forgiveness, it was said of the Lord: If her father had but spit in her face, it were right for her to be ashamed, and to be separate seven days without the camp, and then to come in.  [Num 12.14] So it behoves you also to do:  to put forth from the Church those who promise to repent of their sins (for a space) proportionate to their offences:  and afterwards do you receive them as merciful fathers.

[ii. 17] But if the bishop be in himself a (cause of) offence, how can he stand up and make inquisition of any man's misdeeds, or rebuke him and give sentence upon him?  For by reason of partiality, or of the presents which they receive -- either he or the deacons, whose conscience is not pure -- they (the deacons) cannot exert themselves to help the bishop; for they are afraid lest they should hear (from the sinner), as from an insolent man, that word which is written in the Gospel:  Why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, and perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam from thine eye; and then shalt thou perceive to cast the mote out of thy brother's eye. [Mt 8.3, 5; Lk 6.41-42] The reason, then, that the bishop, with his deacons, is afraid, (is) lest they should hear from the sinner, as from an insolent man, that [[54]] word of the Lord. For he knows not that it is a perilous thing for a man to speak against the bishop, and that he (the bishop) may be made an offence throughout the (p. 21) whole of that district. For one who has been sinning lacks understanding, and no more spares his soul. Hence, for whatever cause it be that the bishop is afraid, he feigns not to have knowledge of him who sins, and passes him over and rebukes and corrects him not. And hence Satan, when he has found him an occasion by means of one, gets power over others also -- which God forbid that it should come about -- and so it happens that the flock becomes such that it can no longer be set right.  For when there are found many that sin, evil waxes strong; and whereas they that sin are not corrected and reproved that they should repent, this becomes to all an inducement to sin:  and that which is said is fulfilled:  My house is called a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves.  [Mt 21.13; Lk 19.46] But if the bishop keeps not silent from them that sin, but rebukes and reproves and corrects and admonishes and afflicts him that sins, he casts dread and fear upon others also. For it behoves the bishop to be by his doctrine a restrainer of sins and an example and encourager of righteousness, and by the admonition of his teaching a director of good works, and one who lauds and magnifies the good things which are to come and are promised by God in the place of life everlasting:  a proclaimer also of the wrath to come in the judgement of God, with threatening of the grievous fire which is unquenchable and intolerable. And let him know the meaning of God's will, that he despise no man; because our Saviour has said : See that ye despise not any of these little ones that believe in me. [Mt 18.10; cf. v. 6]

[ii. 18] Let the bishop therefore be careful of all, both of [[55]] them that have not sinned, that they may continue as they are without sin, and of them that have sinned, that they may repent, and that he may grant them forgiveness of sins, as it is written in Isaiah that the Lord saith:  Loose every bond of iniquity, and sever all bands of violence and extortion. [Isa 58.6]

CHAPTER VII

To Bishops.

Do thou therefore, O bishop, teach and rebuke, and loose by forgiveness. And know thy place, that it is that of God Almighty, and that thou hast received authority to forgive sins. For to you bishops it was said: All that ye shall bind on earth, it shall be bound in heaven; and all that ye shall loose, it shall be loosed.  [Mt 18.18] As therefore thou hast authority to loose, know thyself and thy manners and thy conversation (p. 22) in this life, that they be worthy of thy place. But without sin there is none among men, [cf. 3Kgms 8.46; 2Chr 6.36] for it is written: There is no man pure of defilement, not even though his life in the world be but one day. [Job 14.4-5] Therefore the life and manner of conversation of the just men and patriarchs was written, that it might be known that in each one of them there was found at least some small sin; that it might be understood that the Lord God alone is without sin, as He said in David:  That thou mayest be justified in thy words, and prevail in thy judgements.  [Ps 50(51).6] For the little defilement of the just is to us a solace and an encouragement, and a (source of) trust that we also, if we sin but a little, have a hope of obtaining forgiveness.[[56]]

There is no man, then, without sin. But do thou strive according to thy power to be in nothing reproachable.  [1Tim 3.2] And have a care of all, that none may stumble and perish by reason of thee. For a layman has the care of himself alone, but thou carriest the burden of all. And very great is the load that thou bearest; for to whom the Lord hath given much, much also will he require at his hand. [Lk 12.48] As therefore thou carriest the burden of all, be watchful; for it is written: The Lord said unto Moses:  Thou and Aaron shall take upon you the sins of the priesthood.  [Num 18.1] For as thou art to render an account for many, so be careful of all; for those that are sound thou shalt preserve, but those that have sinned do thou admonish and rebuke and afflict; and (afterwards) ease them with forgiveness. And when he that sinned has repented and wept, receive him; and while the whole people prays over him, lay hand upon him, and suffer him henceforth to be in the Church. But those who are drowsy and slack do thou bring back and stir up and make firm, and exhort them and make them sound:  for thou knowest what reward thou hast if thou do thus; but if thou neglect it, danger shall come upon thee; for the Lord spoke thus in Ezekiel concerning those bishops who neglect their people:  ¹And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:  ²Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, and say to them:  Thus saith the Lord Adonai:  Woe unto the shepherds of Israel, who feed themselves; and my sheep the shepherds have not fed.  ³The milk [[57]] ye eat, and with the wool ye are clothed, and that which is fat ye kill and the sheep ye feed not.  ⁴That which was sick ye healed not, and that which was weak ye strengthened not, and that which was broken ye bound not up, and that which was gone astray (p. 23) ye brought not back, and that which was lost ye sought not out; but with force and with derision ye have subdued them.  ⁵And my sheep were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and became meat for every beast of the field.  ⁶And my sheep were scattered and gone astray on an the high mountains and on an the high hills, and on an the face of the land were my sheep scattered, and there was none to require and seek.  ⁷Wherefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord Adonai.  ⁸Forasmuch as my sheep are become a spoil and meat to every beast of the field for lack of a shepherd, and the shepherds have not sought my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and my sheep the shepherds have not fed:   ⁹therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.  ¹⁰Thus saith the Lord Adonai: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I wilt seek my sheep at their hands; and I will cause them to cease, that henceforth they feed not my sheep:  and the shepherds shalt no more feed themselves; but I will deliver my sheep out of their hands, and they shall no more be to them for meat.  ¹¹For thus saith the Lord Adonai:  Therefore, behold, I wilt seek my sheep and visit them:  ¹²as a shepherd visiteth his sheep in the day of tempest, when he is in their midst, so will I visit my sheep.  [[58]] And I will gather them together from all places wherein they were scattered in the day of cloud and thick darkness, ¹³and I will bring them forth from the peoples, and gather them from the lands, and bring them into their land; and I will feed them in the mountains of Israel, and in all the waste places of the land.  ¹⁴And in a good and fat pasture will I feed them, and in the mountains of the Most High of Israel shall be the glory of their beauty. There shall they be encamped in a good encampment, and in a fat pasture shall they be fed in the mountains of Israel.  ¹⁵I will feed my sheep, and I will stablish them, saith the Lord Adonai:  ¹⁶that which is lost will I seek, and that which is gone astray will I bring back, and that which is broken will I bind up, and that which is sick will I strengthen, and that which is fat and sound will I keep:  and I will feed them in judgement.  ¹⁷And ye, my sheep, the sheep of my flock, thus saith the Lord Adonai:  Behold, I will judge between ewe and ewe, and between ram and ram.  ¹⁸Is this a small thing to you, that ye devour a good and fat pasture, and the residue of your pasture ye trample upon with your feet, ¹⁹and my sheep did drink that which was trodden with your feet.  ²⁰Wherefore thus saith the Lord Adonai:  Behold, I will judge between ewe and ewe, and between them that are sick:  ²¹because that ye were thrusting them with your sides and with your shoulders, and with your horns ye were butting all the sick ones, until ye had scattered them abroad.  ²²And I will deliver my sheep, and they shall no more be for a spoil: (p. 24) and I will judge between ewe and ewe.  ²³And I will set over them one shepherd, and he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd; ²⁴and David my servant shall be their ruler in their midst:  I the Lord have spoken it.  ²⁵And I will make for them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil beasts to cease from the land; and they shall dwell in the wilderness securely, and sleep in the [[60]] woods.  ²⁶And I will give to them round about my mountain a blessing; and I will send down rain in its season, and it shall be rain of blessing.  ²⁷And the trees of the field shall give their fruits, and the land shall give its increase. And they shall dwell in their land securely:  and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall cut the thongs of their yoke.  And I will deliver them from the hand of them that subdued them, ²⁸and they shall no more be for a prey to the peoples, and the beasts of the field shall no more devour them; but they shall lie down securely, and there shall be none to make them afraid.  ²⁹And I will establish for them a plantation for renown; and they shall no more be few and forsaken in the land, and they shall no more bear the shame of the peoples.  ³⁰And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and they are my people of the house of Israel, saith the Lord Adonai.  ³¹And ye my sheep, the sheep of my flock, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord Adonai. [Ezek 34.1-31]

[ii. 19.] Hear, then, ye bishops, and hear, ye laymen, how the Lord saith:   I will judge between ram and ram, and between ewe and ewe; [Ezk 34.17 (cf. 22)] that is, between bishop and bishop, and between layman and layman:  whether layman loves layman, [ii. 20 ] and whether again the layman loves the bishop and honours and fears him as father and lord, and (as) God after God Almighty; for to the bishop it was said through the apostles:  Everyone that heareth you, heareth me; and everyone that rejecteth you rejecteth me, and him that sent me:  [Lk 10.16] and again, whether the bishop loves the laity as his children, and cherishes and keeps them warm with loving care, as eggs from which [[62]] young birds are to come; or broods over them and cherishes them as young birds, for the rearing up of winged fowl. Teach, then, and admonish all; and them that deserve rebuke, rebuke and afflict:  but unto conversion and not unto destruction; and admonish unto repentance and correct them, so that thou make their ways straight and fair, and order well the conduct of their life in the world.

That which is whole preserve:  [Ezk 34.16] that is, him that is established in the faith guard watchfully; and shepherd the whole people in peace. (p. 25)  And that which is weak strengthen:  [Ezk 34.4] that is, him that is tempted confirm with admonition.  And that which is sick heal:  [Ezk 34.4] that is, him that is sick with doubting of his faith, heal with doctrine. And that which is broken bind up:  [Ezk 34.4, 16] that is, him that is stricken or buffeted or broken by his sins, and halts from the right way, bind up; that is, with the exhortation of admonition cure him, and lighten him of his transgressions, and comfort him and show him that there is hope for him; and bind him up and heal him and bring him into the Church. And that which is gone astray bring back:  [Ezk 34.4, 16] that is, him that was left in sins and was put forth for reproof, leave not without, but teach and admonish him, and bring him back and receive him into thy flock, that is, into the people of the Church.  And that which is lost seek out:  [Ezk 34.4, 16] that is, him who by reason of the multitude of his transgressions has despaired and abandoned himself to destruction, suffer not to perish altogether, lest through utter neglect and indifference he fall asleep, and under the weight of his sleep forget his life, and hold aloof and depart from his flock, that is from the Church, and come to perdition. For when he shall be without the fold and removed from the flock, wolves [[63]] will devour him while he is astray, and he will perish utterly. But do thou seek him out, and admonish and teach him, and bring him back; and visit him, and encourage him to be wakeful, and let him know that there is hope for him. And cut away this from men's thought, that they should say or imagine that which has already been rehearsed:  Our crimes and our sins are upon us, and in them we are wasted away:  how then can we live?  [Ezk 33.10] For they ought not to say or to imagine these things; and they are not to think that their hope is cut off by reason of the multitude of their sins; but they are to know that the mercies of God are many, for that with an oath and with gracious intent He has promised forgiveness to them that sin.

But if a man sin and know not the Scriptures, and is not aware of the patience and mercy of God, and knows not the limit of forgiveness and repentance: by this very thing, that he is ignorant, he perishes. Do thou therefore as a compassionate shepherd, full of love and mercy and careful of his flock, visit and count thy flock, and seek that which is gone astray; as said the Lord God, Jesus Christ our good Teacher and Saviour: (p. 26) 'Leave the ninety and nine upon the mountains, and go seek that one which is gone astray. And when thou hast found it, bear it upon thy shoulders, rejoicing because thou hast found that which was gone astray; and bring it and let it mix with the flock.' [cf. Mt 18.12-14; Lk 15.4-7]  So be thou also obedient, O bishop, and search out him that is lost, and seek him that is gone astray, and bring back him that is holding [[64]] aloof. [cf. Ezk 34.16] For thou hast authority to forgive sins to him that offendeth; [Lk 4.18; Isa 58.6] for thou hast put on the person of Christ.  Wherefore our Saviour also said to him that had sinned:  Thy sins are forgiven thee:  thy faith hath saved thee alive:  go in peace.  [Mt 9.2 (etc)] Now 'peace' is the Church of tranquillity and rest, into which He restored those whom He loosed from sins, sound (and) without blemish, having a good hope and earnest in exercises of labours and afflictions [Mk 10.52; Lk 17.19; Mk 5.34; Lk 7.50; 8.48]. For as a wise and compassionate physician He was healing all, and especially those who were †gone astray† in their sins; for they that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick.  [Mt 9.12 (etc)] And thou also, O bishop, art made the physician of the Church:  do not therefore withhold the cure whereby thou mayest heal them that are sick with sins, but by all means cure and heal, and restore them sound to the Church. And be not reproached with this word which the Lord spoke: With force and with derision ye were subduing them. [Exk 34.4] [ii. 21.]  Do not then use force, and be not violent, and pass not sentence sharply, and be not unmerciful; and deride not the people that is under thy charge, nor hide from them the word of repentance.  For this is that, With force and with derision ye were subduing them, if thou deal harshly with thy lay folk, and correct them with force, and thrust and drive out and receive not (back) them that sin, but harshly and without mercy hide away repentance from them, and become a helper for the †return of evil†, and for the scattering of the flock for meat to the beasts of the field, [Ezk 34.5] that is, to evil men of this world:  nay, not to men in truth, but to beasts, to the heathen and to heretics.  For to him who goes forth from the Church they presently join themselves, and like evil beasts devour him as meat. And by reason of thy harshness, he who goes forth from the Church [[66]] will either depart and enter among the heathen, or will be sunk in the heresies; and he will become an alien altogether , and will depart (p. 27) from the Church and from the hope of God, And of the perdition of that (man) thou wilt be guilty, because thou art ready to drive out and cast away them that sin, and when they have repented and been converted thou wilt not receive them again. And thou hast fallen under the condemnation of that word of the Lord which He spoke:  Their feet are swift to evil, and they hasten to shed blood. Affliction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known.  [Isa 59.7-8] Now the way of peace is our Saviour Himself, as He said:  Forgive ye the sins of them that sin, that to you also your sins may be forgiven:  give, and it shall be given unto you; [Lk 6.37-38] which means:  Give forgiveness of sins, that you also may receive forgiveness. And again He taught us that we should be constantly praying at all times and saying:  Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. [Mt 6.12] But if thou forgive not them that sin, how shalt thou receive forgiveness? Lo, is not thine own mouth against thee, and dost not thou condemn thyself in that thou hast said, 'I have forgiven,' when thou hast not forgiven, but in sooth hast slain? For he who drives a man out of the Church without mercy, what does he else but cruelly slay and shed blood without pity? For if by any a righteous man is unjustly slain with the sword, with God he shall be received into rest; [Wis 4.7] but he who drives a man out of the Church and receives him not again, has committed everlasting murder, evilly and bitterly, and [God] gives for food to the grievous fire eternal him that is driven out from the Church, and regards not the mercy of God, and remembers not His goodness towards penitents, [[68]] and takes not the example of Christ, nor considers those who repented of their many transgressions and received of Him forgiveness.

[ii. 22] It behoves thee then, O bishop, to have before thine eyes those things which happened of old time, that from them thou mayest learn by comparison the healing of souls, and the admonition and reproof and exhortation of them that repent and have need of exhortation. And when thou judgest any persons, do thou with diligence and much investigation compare and follow out God's will:  and as He did, so ought you also to do in your judgements. Hear then, O bishops, in regard to these things an apt and helpful example. It is written in the fourth Book of Kingdoms, and likewise in the second Book of Chronicles, thus:  ¹In those days reigned Manasseh, (p. 28) being twelve years old; and fifty years he reigned in Jerusalem:  and the name of his mother was Hephzibah.  ²And he did that which was evil before the Lord, after the uncleanness of those peoples which the Lord destroyed from before the children of Israel.  ³And he turned again and built the shrines which Hezekiah his father had thrown down; and he set up pillars to Baal, and made abominations, as Ahab king of Israel had done. And he made altars for all the service of heaven, and worshipped all the hosts of heaven.  ⁴And he built altars to demons in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said: In the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, there [[70]] will I set my name.  And Manasseh served the shrines, and said:  My name shall endure for ever.  ⁵And he built altars for all the service of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord; ⁶and he made his sons to pass through the fire in the valley of Bar-Hinnom.  And he practised augury and used magic;  and he made soothsayers and enchanters and diviners, and did much evil before the eyes of the Lord to provoke him to anger.  ⁷And he set the molten and graven image of abomination, which he had made, in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son:  In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I set my name for ever; ⁸and I will no more withhold my feet from the land of Israel, which I gave to their fathers:  yet only if they will keep all that I have commanded them, according to all the commandments which my servant Moses commanded them.  ⁹And they hearkened not:  and Manasseh seduced them to do that which was evil before the eyes of the Lord, after the works of those peoples which the Lord destroyed from before the children of Israel.  ¹⁰And the Lord spake against Manasseh and against his people by the hand of his servants the prophets, and said:  ¹¹Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these evil abominations, as did the Amorites which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:  ¹²therefore, thus saith the Lord the God of Israel:  Behold, I bring such evils upon Jerusalem and upon Judah that everyone that heareth of them, both his ears shalt tingle.  ¹³And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; .and I will wipe Jerusalem as a water-pot is wiped, when it is overturned and falleth upon its face.  ¹⁴And I wilt give the residue of mine inheritance to the sword, and wilt deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall be for a prey and a spoil to all them that hate them, ¹⁵because they have done evil before mine eyes:  for they are a provoking (people), from the day that [[72]] I brought out their fathers from (p. 29) Egypt even unto this day.  ¹⁶Moreover Manasseh shed much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other with slain:  by reason of the sins which he sinned, and caused Judah also to sin, in doing that which was evil before the Lord [2Ki 21.1-16; cf 2Chr 33.1-13].  And the Lord brought against them the chieftains of Assyria; and they took Manasseh and fettered him and cast ropes about him, and led him away to Babylon, and shut him up in prison all bound and fettered with iron [cf 2Chr 33.11]  And there was given him bran-bread by weight, and water mingled with gall in small measure, that he might be alive and be sore afflicted and vexed [ref. ?]. And when he was afflicted exceeding much, he entreated the face of the Lord his God, and humbled himself exceedingly before the God of his fathers; and he prayed before the Lord God [2Chr 33.12-13a] and said:

THE PRAYER OF MANASSEH.  ¹O Lord God of my fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob and of their righteous seed, ²who madest the heaven and the earth with all the adornment thereof; ³who didst bind the sea and fix it by the commandment of thy word; who didst shut up the abyss and seal it with thy fearful and glorious name; ⁴before whose power all things fear and tremble:  ⁵for unsupportable is the exceeding beauty of thy glory, and none can endure to stand before thine anger and thy wrath against sinners:  ⁶without [[73]] bound and without measure are the mercies of thy promises; ⁷for thou art a Lord long-suffering and merciful and very gracious, and dost repent thee of the evil of men.  ⁸And thou, O Lord, according to the gentleness of thy goodness hast promised forgiveness to them that repent of their sins, and in the multitude of thy mercies hast appointed repentance for the salvation of sinners. If then, O Lord God of the righteous, thou didst not appoint repentance to the righteous, to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob:  for neither did they sin against thee:  yet hast thou appointed repentance to me a sinner.  ⁹For more than the sands of the sea are my sins multiplied, and I have no respite to lift up my head for the multitude of mine iniquities. And now, O Lord, behold, I am justly afflicted; and as I am worthy, (so) am I vexed.  ¹⁰For lo, I am bound and bowed down with (these) many bands of iron, so that I may not lift up my head: for neither am I worthy to lift up mine eyes and behold and see the height of heaven, by reason of the exceeding malice of my wickedness. For I have done evil before thee, and provoked thy wrath, and have set up idols and multiplied abominations. ¹¹And now, behold, I bend the knees of my heart (p. 30) before thee, and beseech thy kindness:  ¹²I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned; and because that I know my sins, ¹³I make supplication before thee.  Forgive me, O Lord, and destroy me not with mine offences, and be not angry with me for ever, nor keep against me mine evil (deeds), neither condemn and cast me into the nether parts of the earth.  For thou art the God of penitents: ¹⁴ wherefore in me also, O Lord, show thy [[74]] goodness, that whereas I am unworthy, thou deliverest me after the multitude of thy mercies. ¹⁵And for this will I praise thee ever and all the days of my life:  for thee do all the hosts of heaven praise, and unto thee do they sing for evermore [PrMan .1-15].

And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Manasseh, and had mercy on him [2Chr 33.13b]. And there was made over him a flame of fire, and all the iron (bands) that were upon him were melted and dissolved [ref. ?]. And the Lord delivered Manasseh from his afflictions [ref. ?], and caused him to return to Jerusalem over his kingdom. And Manasseh knew the Lord, and said:  He is the Lord God alone [2Chr 33.13b].  And he served the Lord only, with all his heart and with all his soul, all the days of his life:  and he was accounted righteous [ref. ?]. And he slept with his fathers; and Amon his son reigned after him [2Ki 21.18; 2Chr 33.20].

[ii. 23] You have heard, beloved children, how Manasseh served idols evilly and bitterly, and slew righteous men; yet when he repented God forgave him, albeit there is no sin worse than idolatry. Wherefore, there is granted a place for repentance. But concerning one who says:  I shall have good (success) when I shall walk in the perverse desire of my heart [Dt 29.19], thus saith the Lord:  I will stretch out my hand against him, and he shall be for a byword and a parable [cf. Ezk 14.9; Jer 24.9; Dt 28.37]. For Amon also [[76]] the son of Manasseh, when he conceived a design that he should transgress the Law, and said: 'My father from his youth did exceeding wickedly, and in his old age he repented:  I also will walk in all the desires of my soul, and in the end will return to the Lord,'  and did that which was evil before the Lord:  he reigned but two years, because the Lord God quickly destroyed him from (his) good land [cf. 2Ki 21.19-22]. [ii. 24] Beware therefore, †you that are without faith†, lest any man of you establish in his heart the thought of Amon, and perish suddenly and swiftly. Wherefore, O bishop, so far as thou canst, keep those that have not sinned, that they may continue without sinning; and those that repent of (their) sins heal and receive. But if thou receive not him who repents, because thou art without mercy, thou shalt sin against the Lord God; (p. 31) for thou obeyest not our Saviour and our God, to do as He also did with her that had sinned, whom the elders set before Him, and leaving the judgement in His hands, departed. But He, the Searcher of hearts, asked her and said to her:  Have the elders condemned thee, my daughter? She saith to him: Nay, Lord. And he said unto her:  Go thy way:  neither do I condemn thee [cf. Jn 8.3-11].  In Him therefore, our Saviour and King and God, be your pattern, O bishops, and do you imitate Him, that you may be quiet and meek, and merciful and compassionate, and peacemakers, and without anger, and teachers and correctors and receivers and exhorters; and that you be not wrathful, nor tyrannical [Tt 1.7; cf. 1Tim 3.3]; and that you be not insolent, nor haughty, nor boastful. [[78]]

CHAPTER VIII

Warnings to Bishops; how they ought to conduct themselves.

You shall not be lovers of wine [1Tim 3.2; Tt 1.7], nor drunken; and you shall not be extravagant, nor luxurious, nor spending money improperly. You shall make use of the gifts of God not {as alien (funds), but} as your own, as being appointed good stewards [cf. 1Pt 4.10] of God, who is ready to require at your hands an account of the discharge of the stewardship entrusted to you. [ii. 25] Let that suffice you therefore which is enough for you, food and clothing and whatsoever is necessary. And you shall not make use of the revenues (of the Church) improperly, as alien (funds), but with moderation; and you shall not procure pleasure and luxury from the revenues of the Church:  for sufficient for the labourer is his clothing and his food [cf. Mt 10.10; Lk 10.7; 1Tim 5.18]. As good stewards of God [cf. 1Pt 4.10], therefore, dispense well, according to the command, those things that are given and accrue to the Church, to orphans and widows and to those who are in distress and to strangers, as knowing that you have God who will require an account at your hands, who delivered this stewardship unto you. Divide and give therefore to all who are in want.

But be you also nourished and live from the revenues of the Church; yet do not devour them by yourselves, but let them that are in want be partakers with you, and you shall be without offence with God. For God upbraids those bishops who greedily and by themselves make use (p. 32) of the revenues of the Church, and make not the poor to be partakers with them, saying thus: The milk ye eat, and with the wool ye are clothed [Ezk 34.3]. For the bishops ought to be nourished from the revenues of the Church, but not to devour them; for [[80]] it is written: Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out (the corn) [Dt 25.4 (1Cor 9.9; 1Tim 5.18)]. As then the ox which works unmuzzled in the threshing floor eats, indeed, but does not consume the whole, so do you also, who work in the threshing floor which is the Church of God, be nourished from the Church, after the manner of the Levites who ministered in the tabernacle of witness, which in all things was a type of the Church:  for even by its name it declares (this), for the tabernacle 'of witness' foreshowed the Church. Now the Levites who ministered therein were nourished from those things which were given as offerings to God by all the people -- gifts, and part-offerings, and first fruits, and tithes, and sacrifices, and offerings, and holocausts -- without restraint, they and their wives and their sons and their daughters; because their work was the ministry of the tabernacle alone; and therefore they received no inheritance of land among the children of Israel, because the inheritance of Levi and his tribe was the produce of the people.

You also then to-day, O bishops, are priests to your people, and the Levites who minister to the tabernacle of God, the holy Catholic Church, who stand continually before the Lord God. You then are to your people priests and prophets, and princes and leaders and kings, and mediators between God and His faithful, and receivers of the word, and preachers and proclaimers thereof, and knowers of the Scriptures and of the utterances of God, and witnesses of His will, who bear the sins of all, and are to give an answer for all. You are they [[81]] who have heard how the word sternly threatens you if you neglect and preach not God's will, who are in sore peril of destruction if you neglect your people. You again are they to whom is promised from God the great reward which is not falsified nor withheld, and grace unspeakable in great glory, when you shall minister well to the tabernacle of God, His Catholic Church. As then you have undertaken the burden of all, so also ought you to receive from all your people the ministration of food (p. 33) and clothing, and of other things needful.  And so again, from these same gifts that are given you by the people which is under your charge, do you nourish the deacons and widows and orphans, and those who are in want, and strangers. For it behoves thee, O bishop, as a faithful steward to care for all; for as thou bearest the sins of all those under thy charge, so shalt thou beyond all men receive more abundant glory of God. For thou art an imitator of Christ:  and as He took upon Him the sins of us all [cf. 1Pt 2.24], so it behoves thee also to bear the sins of all those under thy charge; for it is written in Isaiah concerning our Saviour thus:  We saw him having no splendour nor beauty, but as one whose aspect was marred and dejected beyond that of men; and as a man that suffereth, and knoweth to bear infirmities. For his face was changed:  he was despised, and was nothing accounted in our eyes.  But he endured our sins, and for our sake did sigh. But we accounted him as one smitten and plagued and brought low. Yet for our sins was he smitten, and, was made sick for our iniquities:  and by his stripes all we are healed [Isa 53.2-5].  And again He saith:  He bare the sins of many, and for their iniquity was delivered up [Isa 53.12]. And in David and in all the prophets, and in the Gospel also, our Saviour makes intercession for our sins, whereas He is without sin. Therefore, as you have Christ for a pattern, so be you also a pattern to the people under your charge; and as He took upon Him (our) sins, so do you also take upon you the sins of the people. For you are not to think that the burden of the bishopric is light or easy. Wherefore, as you have taken up the burden of all, so the [[82]] fruits also which you receive from all the people shall be yours, for all things of which you have need. And do you nourish well them that are in want, as being to render an account to Him who will require it, who can make no mistake nor be evaded. For as you administer the office of the bishopric, so from the same office of the bishopric ought you to be nourished, as the priests and Levites and ministers who serve before God, according as it is written in the Book of Numbers:  ¹The Lord spake with Aaron and said:  Thou and thy sons and thy father's house (p. 34) shall take upon you the sins of the sanctuary; and thou and thy sons shall take upon you the sins of your priesthood. ²And thy brethren the sons of thy father, the tribe of Levi, bring nigh unto thee, and let them be added to thee and minister unto thee. ³And thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before this tabernacle of witness.  Howbeit the sons of Levi shall not come nigh unto the vessels of the sanctuary and unto the altar, lest they die, they and you;  ⁴but let them be added unto thee, and let them keep the charges of the tabernacle of witness, according to all the ministry of the tabernacle:  and a stranger shall not come nigh unto thee.  ⁵And ye shall keep the charges of the sanctuary and the charges of the altar:  and there shall be no wrath against the children of Israel.   ⁶And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the sons of Levi from among the children of Israel:  as a gift they are given unto the Lord, that they may perform the ministry of the tabernacle of witness.  ⁷And do thou and thy sons with thee keep your priesthood, according to all the ministry of the altar and of that which is within the veil; and perform your ministry as that which is given to your priesthood. But the stranger that cometh near shall die the death.   ⁸And the Lord spake with Aaron and said:  Behold, I have given to you the charges of the firstfruits, of every thing which is hallowed unto me by the children of Israel:  to thee have I given them for a ministry, and to thy children after thee:  (it is) an everlasting ordinance.  [[83]]  ⁹And this shall be yours, of every holy thing which is hallowed of their fruits and of their offerings, and of all their sacrifices, and of all their trespass offerings, and of all their sin offerings:  all that they shall offer to me of things hallowed shall be for thee and for thy sons.  ¹⁰In the holy place ye shall eat thereof:  every male of you shall eat thereof, thou and thy sons:  it shall be for thee a holy thing.  ¹¹And these shall be for thee the firstfruits of their gifts, of all the part-offerings of the children of Israel:  to thee have I given them, and to thy sons and thy daughters with thee:  (it is) an everlasting ordinance:  every one that is clean in thy house shall eat thereof.  ¹²All the firstfruits of oil, and all the firstfruits of wine, and the firstfruits of corn, even all things that they shall give to the Lord, shall be thine: ¹³everyone that is clean in thy house shall eat thereof.  ¹⁴And every devoted thing of the children of Israel shall be thine; ¹⁵and all that openeth the womb of all flesh, even all which they offer to the Lord, from men even unto beasts, shall be thine.  Howbeit the firstborn of men and the firstlings of unclean beasts which shall be offered, shall be redeemed.  ¹⁶And the redemption of them (shall be on this wise):  from a month old and upward thou shalt redeem with a price, five shekels according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which are twenty shekels of silver. (p. 35)  ¹⁷But the firstlings of oxen, and the firstlings of sheep and of goats, thou shalt not redeem:  they are holy:  their blood thou shalt pour out before the altar, and the fat of them thou shalt offer up for an offering of a sweet savour unto the Lord; ¹⁸and their flesh shall be clean to thee.  And the top of the breast of the part-offering, and the right shoulder shall be thine.  ¹⁹All part-offerings of the sanctuary, which the children of Israel shall set apart unto the Lord, to thee have I given them and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee:  an ordinance for ever and an everlasting covenant is it before the Lord unto thee and unto thy seed after thee.  ²⁰And the Lord spake with Aaron and said:  In their land thou shalt receive no inheritance, and thou shalt have no portion among them; for I am thy portion and thine inheritance among the children of [[84]] Israel.  ²¹And to the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithes of the children of Israel for an inheritance, in return for their ministry which they minister in the tabernacle of witness.  ²²And the children of Israel shall no more come nigh to the tabernacle of witness, lest they contract a sin of death; ²³but the Levites shall perform the ministry of the tabernacle of witness, and they shall take upon them their sins:  it is an everlasting ordinance unto their generations.  And among the children of Israel they shall receive no inheritance; ²⁴because the tithes of the children of Israel, even all that they shall set apart as part-offerings to the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. For which cause I said unto them:  Among the children of Israel they shall receive no inheritance.  ²⁵And the Lord spake with Moses and said unto him:  ²⁶Speak to the Levites and say to them:  When ye receive of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for an inheritance, set by thereof, ye also, a part-offering unto the Lord, a tithe of the tithes:  ²⁷and your part-offering shall be accounted unto you as the corn from the threshing floor, and as the part-offering of the winepress.  ²⁸So shall ye set apart, ye also, a part-offering unto the Lord of all your tithes which ye receive from all the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof a part-offering for the Lord unto Aaron the priest.  ²⁹Of all your gifts ye shall set by a part-offering unto the Lord, even of the firstfruits, (part) whereof he halloweth unto himself.  ³⁰And say thou unto them:  When ye have set apart his firstfruits therefrom, it shall be reckoned unto the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress:  ³¹and do ye eat thereof in every place, ye and your households, because it is your reward in return for your ministry in the tabernacle of witness:  ³²and ye shall contract no sin by reason thereof, when ye shall set apart the firstfruits thereof.  And the holy things of the children of Israel ye shall not profane, lest ye die [Num 18.1-32].

CHAPTER IX (p.36)

An admonition to the People, that they should honour the Bishop.

[ii. 26] Hear these things then, ye laymen also, the elect Church of God. For the former People also was called a [[86]] church; but you are the Catholic Church, the holy and perfect, a royal priesthood, a holy multitude, a people for inheritance [1Pt 2.9; cf. Ex 19.6], the great Church, the bride adorned for the Lord God [cf. Rev 21.2; Isa 61.10]. Those things then which were said beforetime, hear thou also now. Set by part-offerings and tithes and first fruits to Christ, the true High Priest, and to His ministers, even tithes of salvation (to Him) the beginning of whose name is the Decade. Hear, thou Catholic Church of God, that wast delivered from the ten plagues, and didst receive the Ten Words, and didst learn the Law, and hold the faith, (and know the Decade,) and believe in the Yod in the beginning of the Name, and art established in the perfection of His glory:  instead of the sacrifices which then were, offer now prayers and petitions and thanksgivings. Then were first fruits and tithes and part-offerings and gifts; but to-day the oblations which are offered through the bishops to the Lord God. For they are your high priests [cf. Did 13.3]; but the priests and Levites now are the presbyters and deacons, and the orphans and widows:  but the Levite and high priest is the bishop. He is minister of the word and mediator; but to you a teacher, and your father after God, who begot you through the water. This is your chief and your leader, and he is your mighty king. He rules in the place of the Almighty:  but let him be honoured by you as [[88]] God, for the bishop sits for you in the place of God Almighty. But the deacon stands in the place of Christ; and do you love him. And the deaconess shall be honoured by you in the place of the Holy Spirit; and the presbyters shall be to you in the likeness of the Apostles; and the orphans and widows shall be reckoned by you in the likeness of the altar. [ii. 27] And as it was not lawful for a stranger, that is for one who was not a Levite, to draw near to the altar or to offer aught without the high priest, so you also shall do nothing without the bishop. But if any man do aught without the bishop, he does it in vain, for it shall not be accounted to him for a work; for it is not (p. 37) fitting that any man should do aught apart from the high priest.

Do you therefore present your offerings to the bishop, either you yourselves, or through the deacons; and when he has received he will distribute them justly. For the bishop is well acquainted of those who are in distress, and dispenses and gives to each one as is fitting for him; so that one may not receive often in the same day or in the same week, and another receive not even a little. For whom the priest and steward of God knows to be the more in distress, him he succours according as he requires. And to those who invite widows to suppers let him send frequently her whom he knows to be in the more distress.  [And again, if anyone gives bounties to widows, let him send [[90]] her the rather who is in want.] But let the portion of the pastor be separated and set apart for him according to rule at the suppers or the bounties, even though he be not present, in honour of Almighty God. But how much (soever) is given to one of the widows, let the double be given to each of the deacons in honour of Christ, (but) twice twofold to the leader for the glory of the Almighty. But if anyone wish to honour the presbyters also, let him give them a double (portion), as to the deacons; for they ought to be honoured as the Apostles, and as the counsellors of the bishop, and as the crown of the Church; for they are the moderators and councillors of the Church. But if there be also a lector, let him too receive with the presbyters. To every order, therefore, let everyone of the laity pay the honour which is befitting him, with gifts and presents and with the respect due to his worldly condition.

But let them have very free access to the deacons, and let them not be troubling the head at all times, but making known what they require through the ministers, that is through the deacons. For neither can any man approach the Lord God Almighty except through Christ. All things therefore that they desire to do, let them make known to the bishop through the deacons, and then do them. For neither formerly in the temple of the sanctuary was anything offered or done without the priest. And moreover, even the idol-temples of the impure and abhorred and reprobate heathen to this day imitate the sanctuary. Far indeed in comparison be the house of abomination from the sanctuary:  nevertheless, even in (p. 38) their absurd rites they neither offer nor do anything without their unclean priest; but so they imagine, that the unclean priest is the mouthpiece of the stones; and they wait for what he will command them to do. And in all that they purpose to do they consult their unclean priest, and without him do nothing, And because they imagine that [[92]] what they do is acceptable, they honour him and worship him, as it were for the honour of the dumb stones that are fixed in the walls, and for the service of the foul and evil and cruel demons. If then those who are vain, and their customs false, and who have no hope, but are deceived by an empty hope, study and desire to imitate the sanctuary, and bestow all honour upon those who stand before their absurd idols:  you who manifestly and openly believe in the truth, and hold fast to the hope that is not belied, and wait for the glorious promise which shall never pass away nor be made void -- why should not you rather honour the Lord God through those who preside over you?

Do you therefore esteem the bishop as the mouth of God. [ii. 29] For if Aaron, because he interpreted to Pharaoh the words which were given through Moses, was called a prophet, as the Lord said to Moses:  Behold, I have given thee as a god to pharaoh and Aaron thy brother shall be to thee a prophet [Ex 7.1]:  why then should not you also reckon them as prophets who are for you the mediators of the word, and worship them as God? [ii. 30]  But for us now, Aaron is the deacon, and Moses is the bishop.  Now if Moses was called a god by the Lord, let the bishop also be honoured by you as God, and the deacon as a prophet. [ii. 31]  Wherefore, for the honour of the bishop, make known to him all things that you do, and let them be performed through him. And if thou know of one who is in much distress, and the bishop know not of him, do thou inform him; and without him do not, to his discredit, anything, lest thou bring a reproach upon him as one who neglects the poor. For he who sets abroad an evil report against the bishop, whether by word or by deed, sins against God Almighty. And again, if any man speaks (p. 39) evil of a deacon, whether by word or deed, he offends against Christ, Wherefore in the Law also it is written: Thou shalt not revile [[93]] thy gods; and thou shalt not speak evil of a prince of thy people [Ex 22.28]. Now let no man think that the Lord speaks (here) of idols of stone; but he calls 'gods' those who preside over you. [ii. 32] Moses also saith in the Book of Numbers, when the people had murmured against him and against Aaron:  Not against us do ye murmur, but against the Lord God [Ex 16.8; cf. Num 14.2]. And our Saviour likewise said:  Everyone that rejecteth you, rejecteth me, and him that sent me [Lk 10.16]. For what hope at all is there for him who speaks evil of the bishop, or of the deacon? For if one call a layman fool, or raca, he is liable to the assembly [Mt 5.22], as one of those who rise up agains